Apr201830Monday

Whoever observes My commandments is the one who loves me.
(John 14:21)

The one thing we can ill afford

Is living life without God’s Word;

The most important thing we need –

The Holy Bible – we must read.

Jesus said, ‘Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.’ (John 14: 21-26)

Reflection

It has been said that who you are is determined by the company you keep, the books that you read, and the values that you believe in. The very first Psalm in the Bible says: “Blessed is the man who follows not the ways of the wicked, or lingers with sinners, or converses with malicious tongues, but finds his pleasure in the Law of the Lord, and ponders His Word day and night. He is like a tree planted by flowing waters, always bearing fruits, its leaves never fading; success attends all that he does” (Ps.1:1-3). It is better to stay at home and read the Bible, the Word of God, than to join the company of people who do not practice their Christian faith. One of the things we are thankful to God is for bringing us to a community that we love, the BCBP, where we have been serving in various ministries for almost twenty years now. The members meet regularly every week for breakfast meetings, twice a month for prayer assembly and teaching night, and twice a month for worship and bible sharing. What we are now as servant leaders of Jesus Christ we owe to the influence of our brothers and sisters in the community, to our meditation of the Scriptures, and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We consider this community as our support group in the faith, the Word of God as our spiritual nourishment, and the Holy Spirit as our source of strength and inspiration.

Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” That must be the secret of our formation in our Christian community. We have been faithful in meditating on the Word of God daily, in our prayers as well, in keeping with our membership pledge. We have kept our commitment to attend and serve our community, give witness, and practice love and mercy to those in need. The proof of love is obedience. It is that simple quality of our Christian identity that has inspired us, in appreciating the love of Jesus, and awakening love from us in return.

St. John puts it plainly in his first letter: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). St. Paul also says it beautifully: “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:5). Indeed, we love because we remember who we are, to Whom we belong, and in gratitude for what God has done in our life.

Father God, help us to express our love by being obedient to Your Word, and by loving others as Jesus has commanded us to do. Through Your Holy Spirit’s power, may we be constant in our fidelity and love all the days of our life. Amen.